WFTV

WFTV-Channel 9, Orlando's ABC affiliate, began broadcasting on Feb. 1, 1958. Channel 9 was the area's third television station and its original call letters were WLOF-TV (which stood for We Love Orlando Florida) . The call letters were changed in 1963 to WFTV (Wonderful Florida Television). Long an also-ran among the Central Florida TV stations, WFTV's fortunes turned in the late 1970s thanks in part to ABC's strong ratings as well as a new tranmission tower that boosted the station's signal. The station is located next to State Road 408 in downtown Orlando. Some of the anchors for WFTV-Channel 9's Eyewitness News are Bob Opsahl, Martie Salt, Tom Terry, Phil Burton, Barbara West, Greg Warmoth and Vanessa Echols. Previous anchors included Bob Jordan, Carole Nelson, John Tesh and Deborah Roberts.

Related "WFTV" Articles

On Friday, former WESH-Channel 2 anchor Martha Sugalski is expected to reveal her next move after a year away from television. Industry insiders say she will land at WFTV-Channel 9, a move that neither the station nor Sugalski will confirm.
Though...

Late news supplied the suspense in the July ratings for Central Florida stations. If you like close finishes, you've come to the right place.
WFTV-Channel 9 won most news time slots easily in the ratings period that ended Wednesday.
But the story was...

TV personality and former supermodel Tyra Banks was in town Wednesday to promote "FABLife," a syndicated talk show debuting Sept. 14 on WFTV-Channel 9.
WFTV threw a luncheon at the Grand Bohemian to welcome Banks, preview the fall lineup and...

The June ratings brought more good news to ABC affiliate WFTV-Channel 9, which scored big victories in many time periods.
The TV stations focus on the 25-to-54 age group, which is most important to news advertisers.
The ratings for that...

WFTV-Channel 9 presenting the education special "Paths to Success" at 8 p.m. Wednesday (tonight).
Anchors Nancy Alvarez and Jorge Estevez host the program that explores how Orange County Public Schools students are finding ways to succeed, from...

Shawn Bartelt, general manager at WFTV-Channel 9, on Friday announced her retirement and shared her delight in finishing her career on top.
Bartelt, 61, has been general manager of the ABC affiliate for nine years -- "three years longer than...

Kenneth Crag's last day as a WFTV-Channel 9 reporter was Friday.
On Tuesday, CBS Newspath announced that it had hired him as a correspondent.
Craig will be based in New York, and he starts at CBS' 24-hour television newsgathering service June 15.
He...

UPDATED: Say goodbye to another first-rate reporter at WFTV-Channel 9. Kenneth Craig is leaving.
"It's a bittersweet day," Craig told me in an email Friday. "I've been at Channel 9 for four years and today is my last day here. I'm...

McDreamy died, but WFTV-Channel 9 flourished.
Bolstered by "Grey's Anatomy," other ABC series and the Bruce Jenner interview, WFTV posted impressive wins in the May ratings period. A little Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey never hurts,...

Arrivals and a departure at WFTV-Channel 9:
Reporter Stephanie Bertini left the ABC affiliate last week after nearly a year. She started a new job in South Florida on Monday.
"This kind of career is a journey," Bertini said. "The...

Seventeen firefighters worked nearly an hour to extinguish the fire that took an Ocoee couple's home Sunday, WFTV reports.
According to an article on WFTV's website, Ocoee and Orange County fire departments responded to the home at Glenhaven Circle...

Lori Brown, who has delivered serious, substantive reporting for WFTV-Channel 9, is departing Central Florida for the Fox-owned station in Dallas-Fort Worth.She starts as a general assignment reporter at KDFW on June 15. Her final day in Orlando is June...

April ratings brought good news to WFTV-Channel 9, whose newscasts drew the most 25-to-54 viewers at noon, in early evening and at 11 p.m.
But there were tight races between WFTV and WESH-Channel 2 at 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the ratings period that ended...

You've seen the last of reporter Kristyn Caddell at WFTV-Channel 9.
"Kristyn does not work here any longer," news director Matt Parcell said Thursday. "That's all I'm going to say."
He wouldn't say when her last day was, but he...

UPDATED: Talk about big schedule changes.
To make room for "Good Morning America" on Sundays, WFTV-Channel 9 will shift a religious program it has aired for 50 years.
Starting April 26, "GMA" will be seen at 9 a.m. Sundays on...

Anthony DiLorenzo's last day at WFTV-Channel 9 will be Friday.
On Monday, he joins PIX11 in New York as a general assignment reporter.
PIX11 is part of Tribune Broadcasting, which is owned by Tribune Media. Tribune announced the hire in a...

Leaving the Orlando TV market: Spouses Anthony DiLorenzo of WFTV-Channel 9 and Kala Rama of WKMG-Channel 6.
"Kala and I will be leaving Orlando for job opportunities in New York City in the near future," DiLorenzo said Sunday in an email....

There may be March Madness in college basketball, but there was March familiarity in the ratings for Central Florida TV stations.
WFTV-Channel 9 again claimed victory in most time slots.
WFTV General Manager Shawn Bartelt cited strong results for her...

February brought very good news to WFTV-Channel 9. The ABC affiliate continued to lead in most news time slots and surpassed Fox-owned WOFL-Channel 35 at 10 p.m.
NBC affiliate WESH-Channel 2 had the most-seen prime-time lineup, thanks to the Super Bowl...